It’s not often that a major conference team plays a non-conference game this late in the season, but Indiana will do just that on Wednesday night.
Rather than taking their second lengthy break of the month, the Hoosiers opted to shift the North Carolina Central game to February after the Big Ten schedule was announced last fall.
The Eagles (14-12, 8-5 Mid-Eastern Athletic) have not beaten a team in the top 200 of the RPI, but do boast a pair of transfers with high-major experience.
Forward Dominique Sutton (pictured), who played his first three seasons at Kansas State, leads the team in scoring (16.3 ppg) and rebounding (7.6 rpg).
Guard Ray Willis, who began his career at Oklahoma is averaging 15.8 points per game.
“They’ve got a couple of guys who definitely have a chance to play at the next level,” IU coach Tom Crean said on his radio show Monday night. “Sutton, from what I’ve seen on film or from I’ve heard from different NBA people, I don’t think there’s any question that he’s more than just a prospect. He’s a lot more than a prospect.”
Crean said he believed he got his team’s attention on Monday when he showed them clips of Sutton and Willis, but ultimately Wednesday will come down to how the Hoosiers come out of the gate.
“It’s really about us coming out and having a tremendous mindset of execution, a defensive mindset and disposition that’s second to none and get on the glass.”
CREAN WANTS HULLS TO TAKE MORE SHOTS
After three straight games where he scored in double figures, Jordan Hulls has struggled offensively during the past two games.
The junior guard is 1-of-8 from the field in his last 53 minutes and has just two points. Crean was asked about Hulls’ recent slump by a caller on his radio show.
When sixth man Will Sheehey went down with an ankle injury, Indiana needed another bench player to step up. The “next man up” philosophy that coach Tom Crean and the players often reference was suddenly a reality.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – For a 2:26 stretch in the first half, Indiana knocked down 3-point field goals on five consecutive possessions.
